Flooding a concern in Fort Lauderdale due to high tide
Several South Florida communities dealt with flooding Tuesday because of the high tide. In Fort Lauderdale, one city official says the flooding is getting worse.
Chopper 6 captured flooded streets in Hollywood and Dania Beach as well, including one person pushing a car through the water.
Near downtown, Mario Santoloci says when he got to work, water from the river covered the streets.
“We had a couple inches of water from the intersection all the way down to New River,” Santoloci said. “Yesterday I heard it was bad too but I’ve seen the water come up the sidewalk so it’s been higher, this is about normal.”
Fort Lauderdale’s chief resilience officer Dr. Gassman showed NBC6 Tuesday morning how King Tides impact different parts of the city and what they’re doing to address flooding and sea level rise.
“This is so deep I have never seen the water breach the top of this step down,” Gassman said.
Gassman says the city has more than 200 tidal valves that keep seawater out, but they can struggle when rain and king tides hit at the same time. Her advice to the community is to plan ahead.
“Be aware and prepare, that’s really the key, understand that you’re part of the natural environment, and tides are part of the natural environment and that you need to be aware of what’s happening around you,” Dr. Gassman said.
A water main broke near Fort Lauderdale’s downtown Tuesday afternoon, causing a huge mess hours before the next high tide. Crews worked throughout the night to fix the broken water main before conditions got worse.
Santoloci says working near the river, he’s seen plenty of flooding over the years. Like the city, he says the key is staying prepared.
“It seems to be getting a little worse every year,” Santoloci said. “I have a truck so thankfully it wasn’t too bad but if you have a lower car you wouldn’t want to drive down.”
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